Otasuke-kun
Otasuke-kun (おた助くん) is a gag manga series by Fujio Akatsuka, later credited to Akatsuka and Fujio Pro. It ran in Shogakukan's monthly grade school learning magazine 4th Grade, as well as other grades, in the period of 1963 to 1968. It was followed up by a short-term sequel and spin-off, "2nd-Generation President Ichiro-kun". Overview The title derives from the word otasuke, meaning helper/assistant, but it is also the character's name and his purpose. The series revolves around the elementary school student Otasuke Shiketa, his younger brother Tamao, their friend Ichiro, and their daily lives as well as the situations they get into in trying to help out others or in adventuring to strange places. As with Osomatsu-kun, Otasuke himself wound up overshadowed by his supporting cast. Ichiro would become a common character used by Akatsuka, and Chikako from Ohana-chan would also become part of the cast (while simultaneously being associated with Akko-chan's Got a Secret!). The characters of the series would cameo in other Fujio Pro titles around the mid-1960s, but ultimately drop off in appearances. Of the cast, Ichiro and Chikako would remain in use as recent as the 1990s; Ichiro in the Songo-kun remake, Gag Shop, and MR. Masashi, while Chikako guest-starred in the remake of Hennako-chan. It's possible that the works of I am a Salaryman and Mr. Kaguya inspired this eventual series, as the family structure and story flow would appear to be prototypical, along with one of the two children resembling an early Tamao. 2nd-Generation President Ichiro-kun In this short-lived rebranding and spinoff, Ichiro takes over the company for his father after he falls ill and has to deal with the daily business life. Characters See List of characters in Otasuke-kun for more people appearing in this series. Otasuke The protagonist and elder son of the Shiketa family. He is often kept busy by having to assist others around him with their requests, whether it's helping his unreliable father or Ichiro. He notably shares his design with Ganmo of Akko-chan. Tamao The younger of the two sons. He has a distinct checker-print hat that nearly always covers his bald head. He tends to tag along with Otasuke, and acts as his sidekick. His design was refined from a younger brother character that appeared in Akatsuka's older one-shots of Mister Kaguya and I am a Salaryman, as well as taking his name and some features from the lead of Tamao and the Thief. Ichiro The foolish, not too intelligent son of a famous company president. He is the oldest of the three boys, stated to be first-year junior high school student in the first chapter, although appearances outside this series can have him as younger or older as the setting may require. An early gag features Ichiro becoming smarter and more serious if he bumps his head, which causes his facial expression and eyes to change as well. However, this gag is quickly ceased by chapter 2, and the foolish Ichiro is thankfully retained for those around him. He is characterized by his unique pointed mouth and his taro-like head, making him immediately visible when he shows up elsewhere. Ichiro's Papa A busy boss who intends for Ichiro to take over his company when he is smarter and old enough. Gorilla the Housekeeper An ugly but strong and capable housekeeper that was hired by Ichiro's father. She is named such due to being compared to a gorilla by the boys. Otasuke's Parents A company handyman and a busy housewife. The design of Otasuke's father is re-used for the one in Leave it to Chota (as well as in the original Songo-kun), but gaining an overbite. Otasuke's mother is later seen re-used for the mother of Ganmo in a later Akko-chan chapter, as well as being the mother of a "cousin Saburo" (Tamao) that appears in another. Serialization See List of chapters in Otasuke-kun *4th Grade: April 1963-March 1964. Returned to the magazine from April 1965 to March 1966 re-branded as "Otasuke and Chika-chan" (おた助・チカちゃん), and then returned for a final "Otasuke-kun" run from September 1967-October 1968. *5th Grade: April 1964-March 1965. *Shogakukan Comics: Summer 1965,Winter 1965, Spring 1966 special issues *6th Grade: April to December 1965. Ran simultaneous to "Otasuke and Chika-chan" and the 2nd Grade version. *2nd Grade: September 1965 to March 1966. Succeeded by the 2nd Grade run of Osomatsu-kun. After the wrap-up of the final 4th Grade run, the Ichiro-kun feature ran in its place for five months from November 1968 to March 1969. Because of its short length and connections with the other characters, it can be easily included with the rest of the series. In all, there should be 70 chapters of the Otasuke series, 75 if counting the chapters of the Ichiro-kun spinoff. Reprints Various chapters have been missed in editions. "Otasuke and Chika-chan" is either entirely skipped, or has a few chapters folded into the "Otasuke-kun" name. The 2nd Grade run may also have chapters missed out in reprints such as Akebono, while other chapters from it are interspersed with the original 4th Grade run. *Kinran Company: 3 volumes *Akebono: 7 volume kashihon. The series was later reprinted into 6 volumes as part of the "Complete Works" line (for vol. 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, and 12) in 1969, including the spin-off "2nd Generation President Ichiro-kun" and two other older short-term Akatsuka series. *Shogakukan: The Akebono "Complete Works" volumes were digitized for the "Fujio Akatsuka Complete Works" DVD-ROM set, released in 2002. Japanese residents can order print-on-demand versions of these books via Comic Park. References External Links * Otasuke-kun write-up at the Akatsuka Preservation Society (Japanese) Category:Gag works Category:1960s works Category:Manga Category:Works serialized in Elementary School 4th Grade Category:Works serialized in Elementary School 5th Grade Category:Works serialized in Elementary School 6th Grade Category:Works serialized in Elementary School 2nd Grade Category:Works serialized in Shogakukan Comics